The United States and the World Health Organization have worked to decrease lead exposure in children, but despite these efforts lead poisoning continues to exist in industrialized and developing countries. Prevention is the only way to preclude the health, academic and behavioral problems that occur due to the effects of lead. Public awareness remains a critical factor in prevention as the problem has not gone away, yet research on the effects of lead poisoning on school aged children is largely absent in educational journals. The effect of lead poisoning on health, academics, and behavior is reviewed.